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COVID-19 Delta Variant Causes Concern for Three-Quarters of Small Business Owners

  • Survey from Alignable finds 76 percent of small business owners are concerned to some extent about the COVID-19 Delta variant
  • Share of business owners concerned about a potential government-ordered shutdown jumps to 47 percent
  • Majority of respondents say they’d prefer to hire a vaccinated applicant rather than an unvaccinated one

Summary by Dirk Langeveld

Small business owners are expressing more concerns about COVID-19 as the Delta variant of the virus drives a new surge in cases, according to a recent report from the small business referral network Alignable.

The latest “Road to Recovery” report is based on responses from 5,262 small business owners between July 31 and Aug. 10. Seventy-six percent said they were concerned to some extent about the Delta variant hurting their business recovery, while 63 percent said they think the variant puts the small business economy as a whole at greater risk; just 11 percent said they weren’t concerned about the variant.

While 74 percent said they’ve fully reopened, more business owners were worried about the potential of another government-ordered shutdown. Just 17 percent were concerned about this possibility in Alignable’s Road to Recovery survey for April, but the share jumped to 47 percent in the most recent report.

  • 71 percent said they would like to ask prospective hires about their vaccination status, with the remaining 29 percent saying they did not think it would be appropriate to do so
  • 72 percent said they would be more likely to hire a vaccinated applicant than an unvaccinated one
  • Businesses also identified ongoing challenges with inflation, higher supply costs, and labor shortages
  • 80 percent said their business is experiencing higher costs, but just 44 percent said they raising their own prices as a result

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